So the buoyant mood generated by back-to-back victories – and a couple of clean sheets for good measure – fell flat.

Blues had the opportunity to leapfrog Newcastle and get some space in which to breathe away from the basement dwellers.

But when they return to action after the Carling Cup final, their position will remain precarious.

An horrendous start by Blues left them with it all to do.

Only 80 seconds had gone when Newcastle struck to score through Peter Lovenkrands.

Blues have made an unwanted habit of being caught cold from the off, although two successive clean sheets had suggested they had tightened things up in general.

Newcastle launched a raid down the left flank through the quick and leggy danger of Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez and before Blues knew it, they were trailing.

Gutierrez delivered a fine cross into the near post area and Lovenkrands got just enough daylight as he darted across Roger Johnson to crash the ball in.

It was a decent finish to a good low centre but a bad goal for Blues to concede.

What made it more galling was that thereafter in the first half Blues grew as the minutes ticked by and performed in a very accomplished manner.

On a soggy, difficult pitch, they moved the ball about smartly and carefully but where it mattered, in and around the visitors’ area, nothing would go for them.

When Obafemi Martins won the ball back deep in Newcastle territory and slided it to Barry Ferguson, he in turn shovelled it forward quickly into Nikola Zigic’s path.

Zigic took a touch and got a low shot away that Steve Harper did well to keep out one-handed.

That encouraged Blues and although they enjoyed plenty of possession, frustration was the end product.

Seven minutes before the interval Sebastian Larsson latched on to a deep free-kick that fell fortuitously to him and after skipping past Cheik Tiote teed up Craig Gardner.

But from 16 yards, Gardner arrowed a firm rising shot that cleared the angle of post and crossbar.

It wasn’t a bad opening 45 minutes from Blues by any stretch of the imagination, but Lovenkrands’ opener gave Newcastle something to have and hold, and Blues needed to be more clinical and less picturebook.

However, Blues failed to maintain their momentum on the resumption of play from the re-start.

Five minutes into the half the lead was doubled when Gutierrez again flighted over an inviting cross, after cutting back inside Larsson.

Best soared highest, above Johnson, and thumped a powerful header from six yards that gave Ben Foster no chance.

Cameron Jerome replaced Martins, who again provided evidence that he could add something extra to the mix. And Kevin Phillips was sent on in a vain attempt for some magic dust to materialise.

The second goal, though, completely demoralised Blues.

Zigic came storming on to a Liam Ridgewell cross and headed just over the crossbar, while Johnson headed into Harper’s arms from a corner.

But Blues were unable to break the stranglehold Newcastle had on the game and to make matters worse Martin Jiranek had to be withdrawn due to injury.

The night was summed up when, with five minutes left, Jerome’s mis-kick saw the ball roll into Phillips’ path but he uncharacteristically got no contact on the ball.